One of the healthiest parts of Australia’s culture is our relationship with sport, recreational and cultural pursuits. In particular, sporting values, symbols and rituals are evident throughout our lives – from our own participation in school sport and local sporting teams through to state and national teams.

Being mindful as a parent or influential adult when drinking in front of younger Australians.

Keep the event the focus, not the alcohol.

According to AustraliaSCAN™ research, almost eight in ten Australians see enjoying a few drinks with mates as a great Australian tradition and additional research commissioned by DrinkWise indicates that almost eight in ten agree that it’s okay to have a drink or two at public events. Most Australians however believe it is important to drink responsibly at sporting and cultural events – with most acknowledging that an event can be ruined if people drink too much.

Having a drink at a sporting match, a comedy show or a music festival can be an enjoyable way to socialise with friends and family. However while the majority of those who drink alcohol at events do so responsibly, many can also point to times when they’ve overdone it, or have had their experience lessened because of a few too many. The initiative is about encouraging a safer, healthier drinking culture in Australia by keeping the event the focus, not the alcohol.

You Won’t Miss a Moment if you DrinkWise is an integrated initiative supported by an alliance of industry, event sponsors, media and sporting codes who have come together with DrinkWise to present a unified approach to affirming the importance of drinking in moderation, and getting the facts about alcohol consumption. This initiative marks an industry first, conveying a unified moderation message which encourages sports fans, music lovers and festival-goers to drink responsibly and ensure they don’t miss the most memorable moments of an event.

This ground breaking initiative commenced with the 2014 AFL Finals and has now been promoted across major events including the Spring Racing Carnival, NRL finals, Australian Open Tennis, Surf Australia and the 2015 World Cup of Cricket – using donated advertising space, and supported by sporting codes and broadcasters – including on ground signage, television and radio broadcasts.

The initiative encourages Australians to get the facts about their alcohol consumption from the DrinkWise website, to assist consumers in making positive choices about how they drink. The website provides a range of information, including a standard drinks calculator, an interactive health tool, and practical tips and advice about moderation and responsible drinking.

Since 2009, DrinkWise has had an ongoing partnership with the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) and part of this initiative involves the filming of SAHOF members remembering some of their favourite sporting moments. Featuring Ian Healy, Wally Lewis, Leigh Matthews, and Kevin Sheedy, the commercials showcase how important iconic sporting moments are to Australians, serving as a reminder to viewers that if they’re consuming alcohol while watching sport, to do so in moderation, so they too can recall the great ‘moments’.

DrinkWise will continue to work with its contributors to promote this message across a broad range of cultural, music and sporting events – from Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival and major capital city events, to local community festivals around the country.

The partnership provides an extension to the internationally acclaimed How to Drink Properly campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of making better decisions when consuming alcohol.

The partnership will commence in Sydney, and coincides with the launch of new Uber data highlighting how access to safe and reliable rides has helped hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders make safer, smarter choices when heading home after a night out.

Drink driving remains an ongoing concern in Australia, with hundreds of people killed in car crashes involving a drunk driver every year. Most alcohol related incidents happen late at night, on weekends, when transport options are limited. Ridesharing services such as Uber – where passengers have fast access to reliable transport alternatives at any time of the day or night – are helping to change this. A recent study by Temple University, in California, found that cities where Uber operates have 3.6-5.6% less drink driving deaths than cities without access to ridesharing.

DrinkWise CEO, John Scott, emphasised the importance of this new partnership.

“Ridesharing plays an important role in ensuring people get home safely, and this partnership reinforces our position as an organisation committed to sensible and practical approaches that reduce harm from excessive consumption of alcohol by reinforcing the importance of planning your night out in advance.”

The DrinkWise/Uber partnership provides another example of the way the How to Drink Properly campaign has innovatively sought to promote a message of moderation and responsible drinking with young adults. The campaign has utilised a variety of social channels and targeted on the ground activations to provide practical tips to reduce the harm that can occur from excessive drinking. In partnering with Uber, DrinkWise will promote How to Drink Properly messages at the right time of the evening with a service that appeals to young Australians.

Campaign background:

Launched in February 2014, ‘How to Drink Properly’ aimed to make the ongoing trend of drinking to get drunk less socially acceptable among young drinkers, and to encourage those already drinking in safe and moderate ways to continue to do so. The campaign targets 18 to 24 year olds, challenging them to ‘stay classy’ by moderating the intensity and frequency of their drinking. The campaign provides advice and tips that highlight the difference between poor drinking practices and drinking properly – showing that there is a way to do it and a way not to do it. www.howtodrinkproperly.com

]]>https://drinkwise.org.au/media-releases/media-releases-2016/drinkwise-announces-new-safe-ride-partnership-with-uber-2/feed/0‘You’re still going to get in trouble. But we want you around to get in trouble.’https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/youre-still-going-to-get-in-trouble-but-we-want-you-around-to-get-in-trouble/
https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/youre-still-going-to-get-in-trouble-but-we-want-you-around-to-get-in-trouble/#commentsTue, 08 Mar 2016 04:26:58 +0000https://drinkwise.org.au/?p=5604Think back to your first drink. Did you tell your parents about it?

We can bet that most of you would answer no — unequivocally. But as parents, the tables have now turned and it’s time to start having that conversation around drinking with your teens.

That was certainly the case for four of Australia’s favourite media personalities: Andrew Rochford, Brigitte Duclos, Bern Morley and Andrew Daddo.

Their no-holds-barred conversation gives us an insight into how they’re relating their own drinking experiences to their kids and on their different parenting techniques when it comes to handling that difficult discussion.

Parents — it’s a must watch, because when your kids inevitably reach this stage it helps to be prepared.

This video is the third in a three part series – in part one the parents discuss peer pressure and the impact that had on their first experiences with alcohol, and in part two they discuss their tactics for starting a conversation with their teens about alcohol.

This content was originally published on Mamamia.com.au and is republished here with full permission.

]]>https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/youre-still-going-to-get-in-trouble-but-we-want-you-around-to-get-in-trouble/feed/0The most important thing when it comes to talking to your teens about alcohol.https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/the-most-important-thing-when-it-comes-to-talking-to-your-teens-about-alcohol/
https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/the-most-important-thing-when-it-comes-to-talking-to-your-teens-about-alcohol/#commentsTue, 08 Mar 2016 04:24:55 +0000https://drinkwise.org.au/?p=5601No one said it was going to be easy, but it’s a conversation every family has to have.

When your kids reach a certain age and drinking becomes a potential reality, “It’s about opening the communication, but them knowing the consequences.”

But how do you start that often-awkward conversation?

Andrew Rochford, Brigitte Duclos, Bern Morley and Andrew Daddo discuss their tactics when it comes to this important discussion with their teens.

This video is the second in a three part series – in part one the parents discuss peer pressure and the impact that had on their first experiences with alcohol, and in part three they discuss the importance of being open and accessible when it becomes time to have a chat.

This content was originally published on Mamamia.com.au and is republished here with full permission.

]]>https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/the-most-important-thing-when-it-comes-to-talking-to-your-teens-about-alcohol/feed/0Some well-known parents on their first experience with alcohol and why it’s different for kids these days.https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/some-well-known-parents-on-their-first-experience-with-alcohol-and-why-its-different-for-kids-these-days/
https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/some-well-known-parents-on-their-first-experience-with-alcohol-and-why-its-different-for-kids-these-days/#commentsTue, 08 Mar 2016 04:22:48 +0000https://drinkwise.org.au/?p=5597And it all came down to peer pressure.

What is it about our culture that encourages bad attitudes to alcohol, like binge drinking? How young does it start? And now, so many years on has it gotten worse with platforms like Instagram and Facebook forever immortalising our drunken antics?

In the words of Andrew Daddo, “It was mind numbingly dumb now that I look back – but at the time it seemed mind bending-ly smart.”

While reliving these experiences might be painful, it certainly seems to put a lot into perspective. After all, how much has really changed?

This video is the first in a three part series – in part two the parents discuss their tactics for starting a conversation with their teens about alcohol, and in part three they discuss the importance of being open and accessible when it becomes time to have a chat.

This content was originally published on Mamamia.com.au and is republished here with full permission.

]]>https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/some-well-known-parents-on-their-first-experience-with-alcohol-and-why-its-different-for-kids-these-days/feed/0How early is too early to have ‘the talk’ with your kids?https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/how-early-is-too-early-to-have-the-talk-with-your-kids/
https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/how-early-is-too-early-to-have-the-talk-with-your-kids/#commentsThu, 04 Feb 2016 02:57:16 +0000https://drinkwise.org.au/?p=5556There are certain things you have to face as your children start to grow out of their baby hands and faces. Things like a curious pre-teen starting to ask about alcohol and parties, and wondering what taking drugs might be like.

Knowing your child may soon be faced with choices you wish they didn’t have to make, and wanting them to be prepared, is really tough. Complicating matters is that as your children get older and savvier, they start to recognise more and more of what’s going on around them. Include your own behaviour.

Now, more than ever, you are their foremost role model. Everything you do, they are watching and judging. If you come home from work and immediately rush to pour yourself a glass of wine – you’re sending them a subconscious message. If you get carried away at a celebration and end up acting stupid? They are no longer tucked away in bed or safely with the babysitter – they are there watching you.

My daughter, 12, now asks me questions like why I like wine. She wants to know what it means when it says on the news there is an ice epidemic in Australia. She wants to know why adults she sees hanging around at train stations look weird and agitated. It’s really hard to explain all this to her sometimes.

I am acutely aware that this is a crucial age, and I want to influence her, before these questions become options actually being offered to her. Her opinions are being formed now, and I hope I can still have input as her values and ideas about herself are being established.

I’m happy to explain to my daughter that I enjoy a good Pinot Noir or a nice cold beer in summer – but that if I drink too much alcohol, I won’t feel good. We’ve had to start talking about how in high school, there might be friends of hers who think it’s a great idea to drink lots of alcohol to get drunk, and they’ll end up doing stupid things they might regret, including risky things like mixing sex with alcohol and possibly saying yes to recreational drugs.
But I’m not quite ready to give her any practical advice and tips like drinking one water for every alcoholic drink or nominating one friend in the group to be the sober one to look after all her mates. I want to talk about these topics, but not normalise them to the extent that she feels these are rituals and experiences she has to go through.

I remember as a teen how strong the drive to fit in was; I thought that to take risks made you look cool. Now there’s social media ready to potentially document every bad decision, and drugs that weren’t around 20 years ago are cheap and freely available. Somehow, it feels like there’s a lot more at stake.

So at this age, I use techniques like referencing popular culture as a more comfortable way to discuss these issues: the celebrities she already looks up to, song lyrics which endlessly glamourise drinking and partying.

I let her know my opinions. I try not lecture or get too heavy, I just make comments here and there, and she seems to take that in. But I do wonder – should I be going deeper? Should I let her in to my own experiences as a teen and young adult? Or will she just take that as an endorsement to make stupid decisions? As I sure made a few…

What is the right age to really start talking about teenage issues such as sex, drugs and drinking with your child?

This content was originally published on Mamamia.com.au and is republished here with full permission.

]]>https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/how-early-is-too-early-to-have-the-talk-with-your-kids/feed/0‘Help – my teenager has just started going to parties. And I’m terrified.’https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/help-my-teenager-has-just-started-going-to-parties-and-im-terrified/
https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/help-my-teenager-has-just-started-going-to-parties-and-im-terrified/#commentsThu, 04 Feb 2016 02:56:03 +0000https://drinkwise.org.au/?p=5551My problem (or maybe it’s a blessing, I’m not sure?) with having had a child when I was in my early ‘20s is that now that she’s become a teen, I am still young enough to remember EXACTLY what I was getting up to at 15 years old.

And, not only what I was getting up to, but what I was getting away with behind my mother’s back. Now, I like to think I’m cooler and more approachable than my mother was at the same time, but when it all boils down to it, peer pressure is the same in any decade and with the rise of social media, perhaps now it’s even worse.

We’ve had discussions about drinking because, as I mentioned above, I’m approachable and cool. Although the fact I say that probably means that I’m neither. I digress. I have attempted casual conversations with her, usually on our way into school and work. The whole, ‘look, you’re going to drink and have sex, it’s just the way it is’. At which point her mortified face drops and she asks me why on earth I am doing this to her.

As far as sex goes, I have had more serious conversations in which I have tried to make two things abundantly clear: 1) Always be sure that SHE wants to do it and 2) Always use protection.

This conversation wasn’t particularly well received and, sure, she acted like I’d just handed her her first training bra but I think we got through. The message I want her to take is that I know she’ll do it, I just want her to have a good, safe experience when she does.

Then comes drinking and this is actually a harder one to tackle. When we started discussing this, I told her about my first time drinking. How I’d gotten so rotten drunk, purely just to experiment, that it was not only pointless, it was really dangerous.

When I started the conversation with my daughter, who is starting to attend parties where the parents are conspicuously absent and there is booze readily available, she tells me that she’s not interested in drinking. I counter this with, well, I almost think it would be better for you and your friends to have a bottle of something at home, before you go, rather than there and with God knows what. She is adamant that she’s not interested in it. But here’s the thing I know that she doesn’t. Yet.

Alcohol is a great social lubricator. And what she doesn’t understand (and what she will with her first experience) is that when she tries it, although she more than likely won’t like the taste (especially if she’s drinking classy cask wine like I did), she may well like the side effect that it has on her.

The side-effect that allows her to talk freely to a boy she’s had a crush on for months but has never quite worked up the courage to approach. Or the feeling it gives her when she hears her favourite song. How liberating it is to be so uninhibited. And once she discovers that, well, all bets are off.

So if I’m quite honest, it’s not the sneaky Bacardi Breezer down at the park with her mates that I’m worried about, it’s the lengths she may go to, to be accepted or to keep up.

And that when it comes to the moment, she may not remember any of my advice.

I’m actually quite terrified about what comes next and I feel completely out of my depth. And I’d really like your help or advice.

How do you talk to your kids about alcohol, sex and parties?

This content was originally published on Mamamia.com.au and is republished here with full permission.

]]>https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/help-my-teenager-has-just-started-going-to-parties-and-im-terrified/feed/0Mamamia’s five types of teenagers. Which one is yours?https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/there-are-five-types-of-teenagers-which-one-is-yours/
https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/there-are-five-types-of-teenagers-which-one-is-yours/#commentsFri, 29 Jan 2016 16:47:22 +0000https://drinkwise.org.au/?p=5545There are a series of subtle changes that begin to emerge in your pre-teen, marking the official end of childhood and the advance to the teenage years.

These behaviours generally include an increase in the eye-roll count, less verbal exchange and a whole new vocabulary parents must contend with: bae, whatevs, and YOLO-as-verb.

And when it comes to having the important conversations with your teen about drinking, their strange behaviour can make it tough to get through to them – but don’t let that stop you.

But the good news is, it’s not impossible. Here’s an introduction to the most common teen categories – and how to communicate with them.

The Mute.

“How was school honey?”

“Meh.”

“Did you enjoy soccer training today?”

“Hmph”.

Ok. If this exchange is becoming the dominant communication style with your teen, then welcome to The Mute. The teen Mute is incapable of forming full sentences, which may drain the brain or energies of the teen. (These energy reserves are important for digital communication with friends, duh).

Communication strategy: The best strategy for the teen Mute is to subtly wait for any windows of opportunity, which means the teen has said something to you or in your general direction, and then engage quickly.

The trick here is not to appear too eager, or you will cause an eye-roll. Be on the lookout for spaces and places with fewer distractions, such as the car, kitchen or the laundry, where you’ll be doing things but they won’t.

You may feel your mute child isn’t responsive to your prattle, but be sure their minds are working overtime. Mind the rookie error of loading the drinking conversation into one big pep talk though. That’s not going to work for this wary species. Coming on too heavy will activate the aforementioned eye-roll. Break it down into key themes such as being smart about your choices, looking after your mates and how to recognise the effects of alcohol.

The Rebel.

The Rebel is identifiable by the quirk of the Opposite Action-Reaction default setting. That is, whatever you would like your teen to do, they would like to do the opposite.

“Do you mind putting that away please?” is just an invitation for a response such as “Yes. I do mind.” Ok, excellent. The teen Rebel will also look for any boundaries in their life, in order to push them. This may include but is not limited to: school rules, uniforms, chores, punctuality and all simple requests. The teen Rebel thrives on defiance and witty comebacks, LOL.

Communication strategy: To talk to the teen Rebel about serious teen issues then, one must employ a similar tactic. Sarcasm. Start your sentence with “yeah, as if you would ever do that” and then insert risky behaviour. This will stump the Rebel teen, who will accidentally engage in conversation with you by immediately disagreeing. #winning.

The great news is that if you’ve got a rebel, chances are you’ve got a smart kid there. Congratulations, that’s something you can work with. Show you’re smart too and be well researched in what’s trending in their social networks. Bring up alcohol-related examples and bathe in their rebellious defiant wisdom. The key then is to suspend your own judgment and be prepared to hear things you may not want to. Just remember it’s a work-in-progress and opening the dialogue is like finding a pulse when doing first aid. We can work with that.

The Drama Queen.

Brace yourselves for this one. And then simultaneously cast your mind back to the toddler years. Because the teen Drama Queen has many similarities to a toddler who is facing a crisis of epic proportions – only teen Drama Queens are generally bigger, hairier and louder, and involve you ruining everything.

It usually starts with a guttural scream: “Muuum?/Daaad?” and then you can expect a few “I hate you”s, punctuated by door slams. “You have ruined my life/You don’t understand me/I hate this family” may also make an appearance. Good times.
Communication strategy: The keys to communicating with the Drama Queen are timing and tone. Do not attempt to engage an enraged Drama Queen. Wait patiently until the tide has turned, and then act cool and casual, keeping your tone at all time free from drama. Proceed with caution. Inject what aspect of alcohol safety you want to discuss into the conversation and like the Rebel, sit back and be prepared to listen.

The Golden Child.

Ah, the Golden Child. This is the teen who has worked out quickly that keeping mum and dad happy is the path of least resistance, and usually the same path that leads to getting what they want.

A generally pleasant teen, the only thing to watch here is the degree to which The Golden Child has everyone wrapped around his or her little finger…

Communication strategy: Talking to the Golden Child about drinking is less tricky, because they will switch into Student of the Week mode and lap it all up. But you need to ensure they are really listening and thinking, and not just saying what you want them to say.

So ask them lots of open-ended questions. What would you do if someone offered you a drink? Have you been drinking at parties? Have you ever felt pressure to drink when you haven’t wanted to? Keep things light and general. And don’t forget to praise them afterwards.

The Shape-shifter.

The final category is the ‘you never know what you will encounter’ variety. Pleasant and agreeable one moment, this teen can suddenly become The Mute. In fact, they can display elements of all other categories in any one day. A bit like The Divergent of teens, they master all and can tanty it up with the best of the Drama Queens, or push you to the edge with their rebellious streak, only to happily end the day as The Golden Child once more. It’s exhausting, but it does keep you on your toes.

Communication strategy: Talking to the Shape-shifter teen requires mastery of all of the above skill-sets. Timing, tone, opportunity, sarcasm, light-heartedness – you many need to call on any or all of these skills to have a meaningful conversation with your teen about topics that are important as they grow up.

But no matter what type of teen you have, it’s important to be aware that despite what they say (or don’t say), your teen is watching you, observing you and still learning from your example, every day – remember, you are their positive role model. Let them know that you’re always there to help them even if they are unsure of what to do.

And if all else fails? Start surfing the web, there are plenty of resources out there to help you talk to your teen about alcohol and staying safe. And if you don’t know where to begin, the DrinkWise website is a great place to start.

Parents – stay strong. You’ve got this.

So what type of a teen were you? Or what category does your teen fall under?

This content was originally published on Mamamia.com.au and is republished here with full permission.

]]>https://drinkwise.org.au/parents/there-are-five-types-of-teenagers-which-one-is-yours/feed/0Hon Trish Worth awarded as a Member of the Order of Australiahttps://drinkwise.org.au/media-releases/media-releases-2016/hon-trish-worth-awarded-as-a-member-of-the-order-of-australia/
https://drinkwise.org.au/media-releases/media-releases-2016/hon-trish-worth-awarded-as-a-member-of-the-order-of-australia/#commentsMon, 25 Jan 2016 22:55:11 +0000https://drinkwise.org.au/?p=553626 January 2016

It is with great pleasure that DrinkWise Australia acknowledges the Australia Day Honour bestowed upon the former Chair of DrinkWise, Hon Trish Worth today.

DrinkWise Australia’s How to Drink Properly campaign won two Effies at last night’s gala award ceremony in Sydney. The campaign was joint-winner in the ‘Not-For-Profit / Cause Related Marketing’ category with a silver award and a received a bronze for ‘Most Original Thinking’. Created together with agency partner Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, the campaign started strongly with over 2 million views in its first weeks after launch and has continued to grow since then.

The Effie Awards are the pre-eminent effectiveness awards for advertising. Held in 39 countries around the world, the Effies recognise the most significant achievement in advertising and marketing communications – the effectiveness of work created. Annual awards, the Effies recognise campaigns which have been most effective at meeting their objectives and delivering superior evidence-based results. This takes into account economic effects, innovation and measurement of the effects of advertising with its audience.

How to Drink Properly uses a variety of social channels to reach 18-24 year old drinkers and share the message of moderation. With 57,000 shares in the first four weeks of the campaign, it achieved the social media nirvana of the message being shared by a friend, rather than an organisation.

Of those who had seen the campaign, 33 per cent self-reported that they were drinking less after seeing it. When asked what prompted them to begin drinking less, 26 per cent reported to ‘stay classy’ (one of the key messages of the campaign), 20 per cent said to ‘drink within their limits’, and 17 per cent said to ‘be more responsible’.

DrinkWise CEO, John Scott, says the organisation is delighted with the win.

“This award is acknowledgement that the ground-breaking work we have put in to understanding young people’s attitudes towards alcohol consumption is paying dividends when it comes to behaviour change. We work hard to target the precise time people are making drinking decisions and the How to Drink Properly campaign demonstrates you need to be prepared to push boundaries if you want to create meaningful impact,” he said.

Simon Strahan, DrinkWise Marketing Director, said the campaign is teaching young Australians how to drink in a classy way.

“It’s fantastic that this innovative approach to tackling the issue has been recognised, but more importantly independent research data is showing that the campaign is making a difference. Engaging with the audience with strategies to help them drink in a classier way has clearly resonated.” Strahan said.

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Managing Director Paul McMillan says the most important thing the agency does is create truly effective work for its clients.

“How to Drink Properly embodies our philosophy of the most creative work also being the most effective work. It is a bold campaign and needed a brave marketer behind it in order to bring it to life. Utilising DrinkWise’s strategy, together we stretched the latest digital tools for the campaign and it worked,” McMillan said.

Campaign background:

Launched in February 2014, ‘How to Drink Properly’ aimed to make the ongoing trend of drinking to get drunk less socially acceptable among young drinkers, and to encourage those already drinking in safe and moderate ways to continue to do so. The campaign targets 18 to 24 year olds, challenging them to ‘stay classy’ by moderating the intensity and frequency of their drinking. The campaign provides advice and tips that highlight the difference between poor drinking practices and drinking properly – showing that there is a way to do it and a way not to do it. www.howtodrinkproperly.com